


Insecurity

by TaleaCorven



Series: Beauty and the Man Beast [2]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Hugs, Injury, Kayfabe Compliant, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Showers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:26:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9282299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaleaCorven/pseuds/TaleaCorven
Summary: Heath is hurt and scared. But Rhyno is not a good consoler... at least that's what he thinks.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to ["Keeping score"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9148237).
> 
> This is set during/after the Four Corners Elimination Tag Team Title Match where Heath hurt his leg. (December 27, 2016)

All of his anger about the lost match immediately vanished when Rhyno realized that Heath had gotten injured. The way he held his left leg, the painful expression on his face – something was definitely wrong.

"I think I hurt my leg," Heath whispered to him while Rhyno helped him out of the ring. The older man wasn't sure what had happened. He'd been on the floor for a moment. Had the Usos attacked Heath? They had done stuff like that to American Alpha before, right? Or had Bray done some weird wizardry? Whatever, he decided to take care of that later. Right now it wasn't important.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," Heath mumbled on their way to the backstage area. He leaned on his tag partner and limped. Rhyno wasn't sure what exactly he meant, until he added, "I got pinned... again."

_"Don't worry about that now." -_ That's what Rhyno should have said. He knew it now as he was waiting in front of the trainer's room, praying that Heath was okay. Instead he had just muttered, "Yeah." He felt guilty. What if Heath was badly injured? What if this was the end of his career? Wasn't it also his duty as a tag team partner to protect him?

At least he didn't have to wait long. Heath came back, still on his own two feet but with a depressed look on his face. _Wait, was he depressed?_ Rhyno wasn't always good at reading people's emotions on their faces.

"He's not sure," Heath explained. "I shall rest and see the doctor for an X-Ray tomorrow."

Rhyno nodded. He helped his friend and carried his bag to the car. On the way to the hotel he suddenly remembered something. "What happened?" he asked. "I couldn't see it. Did anyone attack you?"

Heath winced and looked out the side window. "I fell off the top rope."

"Who pushed you?"

"No one." Heath blushed. "I just slipped. It was my own fault." He felt stupid. Rhyno probably thought he was an idiot now.

"Oh," Rhyno said. He was surprised... and somehow angry. He'd looked forward to kicking the ass of the guy who was to blame for this. But now he couldn't.

"I'm scared," Heath suddenly blurted out. And then he started to say all those things Rhyno had already thought about. That he was afraid – afraid of a surgery, afraid of having to take a long break, afraid that this could be the end for him. "How am I supposed to feed my kids?"

"Calm down," Rhyno finally said. It was simple. Just a phrase. But he was overwhelmed, didn't know what else to say. Heath was quiet now, but Rhyno was sure he was still thinking about it.

 

* * *

 

They arrived at the hotel and Rhyno helped him again and carried both of their bags to their room. Heath breathed out with relief when he lay down on his bed. Although he was still in pain.

"Do you need some ice?" Rhyno asked insecurely. He still felt bad that he couldn't be a better friend, couldn't be more consoling.

Heath shook his head. "The trainer said as long as I don't know what's wrong, I shouldn't cool or warm it." Suddenly he sat up. "Damn, I didn't have a shower."

They had gone straight to the trainer's room after the match and had forgotten about it after that.

"Yeah, me neither," Rhyno said unnecessarily, even though Heath already knew that.

"Can you help me?" the ginger asked and already pulled off his T-shirt.

Rhyno flinched. "You should rest your leg. Just let it go for today."

"But I had a match!" Heath protested. "I feel uncomfortable. Just a quick shower. Please!"

His tag partner sighed. "Okay."

"Thanks!" Heath smiled and quickly undressed. He didn't know why Rhyno was reluctant.

It wasn't the first time Rhyno saw him without clothes. The ginger wasn't shy. Sometimes he wandered through the hotel room completely naked, wondering where he had left his shirt or his jeans. But usually he wasn't so close to him then.

Rhyno just took off his shoes and pants and went to the bathroom in T-shirt and boxers while he let Heath lean on his shoulder. He tried to not look too closely at his friend. Heath stopped in front of the shower. "Don't you want to take that off? It will get all wet."

"It's okay," Rhyno mumbled and averted his gaze.

Heath looked at him for a moment before he said, "You don't need to be ashamed. You've got a great body for a 41-year-old..." He stopped when he realized how that sounded. "I mean... you're not old. I..." Rhyno seemed sad. "I'm sorry." Heath lowered his head.

"It's okay," his friend repeated and took off his T-shirt before he turned on the shower. He tried to stand as far away as possible to not get too wet. But at the same time close enough for Heath to grab his shoulder, so that he didn't need to put weight on his left leg.

Heath tried to hurry, but suddenly he slipped. Rhyno was quick enough to catch him before he fell to the ground. However, he was now directly under the shower. He had his right arm around Heath's waist. The ginger was practically lying in his arm. Heath clung to him, frozen in shock. Rhyno looked at him for only a few seconds, water dripping from his long hair. But it felt like hours to him.

"I'm sorry," Heath said and tried to stand up again. Rhyno blushed when he realized what had happened. He turned his head away and cleared his throat. Heath turned off the tap. "I think I'm good for now. Thanks again." He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Rhyno still looked away, even though he felt the hand of the other man on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Have I hurt you?" Heath asked. But then he thought, _What a stupid question._ Rhyno was really strong. Of course it wasn't a problem for him to catch someone like him. He did stuff like that all the time in the ring. Unlike him, Rhyno wasn't clumsy.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," the other man answered. Although he was completely wet now, including his boxers. That was a problem. Now he really had to occupy his mind with something else than Heath's naked, wet body in his arms. Otherwise, he might not be able to control himself any longer, and then it would be very visible.

When Heath had put on his bathrobe, Rhyno picked him up bridal style. "It's faster this way," he explained while he carried him to the other room.

Heath smiled and put his arms around Rhyno's neck. "I could get used to this," he joked.

After he had placed his friend carefully on his bed, Rhyno grabbed some stuff from his bag. "I'll take a shower now," he said and went back to the bathroom.

Back under the warm water – this time without his boxers – Rhyno was finally able to indulge in his fantasies. He started to stroke himself while he was thinking of Heath. Heath's smile, his muscles, his soft skin, his lips... _God, how he wanted to kiss those lips._

He wasn't sure how thin the walls were. So he bit his lip to suppress his moans when he came. Finally, he felt better, relaxed.

 

* * *

 

When he came back to the other room, they both decided to go to bed. It had been a long day.

The older man was just drifting off to sleep, when he heard Heath asking in a low voice, "Rhyno? Ya still awake?"

Rhyno sighed and turned around.

"I'm so tired, but I can't sleep." Heath seemed distressed.

His friend sat up and switched on the light.

"I just can't stop thinking." The ginger wanted to get up.

But Rhyno stopped him. "Wait a minute! Do you need anything?"

"I want to get the painkillers the trainer gave me earlier."

"Are you in pain?"

"No, but they also make me tired."

"You shouldn't take painkillers just to sleep." When Heath looked at him confused, Rhyno cringed. _Maybe he shouldn't have acted like Heath's mother._ "I'll get them for you. Where are they?"

"Not sure..." The ginger thought about it.

_Of course he didn't know,_ Rhyno thought. Heath's bag was like a black hole. You could find anything and nothing. He started to search in it and stopped when he suddenly held a little plush bunny in his hands. It had a tag: _I luv ya, Daddy!_ Rhyno smiled. Maybe kids weren't that bad.

"That's from Mary Lou." Heath's voice was filled with the pride of a father. "It's cute, isn't it?"

Rhyno put the bunny back. "Do you miss them?"

"My kids? Of course! Every day that I'm on the road."

"And your wife?" Rhyno furrowed his brows. _Why did he suddenly ask things like that?_ Somehow the words had just slipped out of his mouth.

Heath looked away. "We're... we're not that close anymore." He sighed. He knew he could trust Rhyno. So he decided to tell him the truth. "I know she cheats on me. But... you know... my father left our family when I was still a little boy, and I don't want my children to grow up like that. So I made an agreement with Beulah. I'm going to stay with her until our youngest, Leroy, turns twelve." He made a short pause before he added, "But we're not a real couple anymore. We don't even sleep in the same bed."

Rhyno was shocked. He hadn't expected that. "You... you shouldn't do that. I mean, you don't need to stay with her. It's okay when you just visit your kids regularly." He halted. Since when had _he_ become an expert on fatherhood?

He just wanted to apologize when Heath said, "It's okay. I don't have anyone else to go to anyway."

Rhyno stared at him, maybe a little bit too long because Heath suddenly blushed and looked away. So Rhyno quickly continued to search for the painkillers. When he found them, he gave them to Heath and then returned to his bed. "If you need anything else, ask me and don't run around with that injured leg of yours!"

Heath smiled at him. "Thanks. For everything."

"Yeah, good night," Rhyno mumbled and switched off the light.

 

* * *

 

The next day Rhyno was sitting in the waiting room while Heath had his checks and tests at the doctor. He was praying again, didn't want to think about the many _What ifs._

It took a while, but then his friend finally returned with a smile on his face. "Everything's good! Just hurts." Rhyno exhaled audibly and was suddenly hugged by the happy ginger. "I'm so relieved!" Heath exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too," Rhyno answered and patted his back.

"I wish we could celebrate. But we'll already have a match at a Live show again tonight."

"And you're really cleared for that?" Rhyno was still a bit worried.

"Yaass!" Heath grinned. He didn't seem to care too much about the pain.

It was okay. He just had to be a bit careful with his leg. But they were able to win their match later that day. Now the ginger was exhilarated. He was talking nonstop, even when they were already back in the hotel.

Rhyno sighed and sat down on his bed. He was glad that his tag partner wasn't seriously injured. But he needed a break now. They had already showered after their match. So he couldn't use that as an excuse. Suddenly he had an idea. Maybe there was another way to stop Heath from talking.

He wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe it was sleep deprivation, maybe adrenaline from their win, maybe it just _had to_ happen someday. Whatever it was, it made him stand up, grab Heath's head and kiss him. The eyes of the ginger widened.

It wasn't a deep kiss, it wasn't very long. Even if Heath wanted to reciprocate after the first shock, he didn't have enough time. Rhyno stepped back and looked at him, surprised about himself.

Heath stared at him. "I... I didn't know you feel like that... too." He stepped forward and kissed his friend back. And this time Rhyno opened his mouth and wrapped his arms around the other man. He'd waited so long for this, he couldn't believe his dream had finally come true.

 


End file.
